Draft-arm for railway-cars.



L. T. CANFIELD.

DRAFT ARM FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16. 1915.

Patented July 11, 19163:

LEWIS T. GANFIELD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO UNION DRAFT GEAR 10., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Application filed September 1,6, 1915.

T (ZZZ uivhom it may concern it known that I, LEWIS T. CANFIELD, a citizen oi. the United States, and residentof Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have inyented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Arms for Railway-Cars, of which the the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to means for strengthening the construction of railway cars and more 1i articularly of those having wooden sills The increased length vof railway freight trains and the increased power of locomotives, as compared with former practice, have brought about the use of larger dra'tt appliances and require the car under-framing to be of great strength. Cars heretofore constructed with wooden sills of sutticient strength to meet the conditions of service at the time of their construction are now required to he remodeled, particularly with reference to the construction of the draft plates and adjacent parts to provide for the use of larger dra'tt appliances and for the reinforcement of the sills in line with the body bolster.

The object of the invention is accordii'iglv to provide a draft arm comprising draft plates and a reinforcing transom adapted for application to cars having wooden sills to providr an improved connection of the draft plates with the sills and to assist the. sills in carrying the load to which they are subjected.

in the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a lan view showin details of a car undertraming with a form of the improved draft arm applied theretor the center sills and the end sill being omitted: Fig. 2 1s a longitudinal sectional view taken on theplane indicated by the line 22 on Fig. 1, but showing; the end sill and a detail of the corresponding. center sill, partly broken away. and with the body bolster indicated in'dotted lines; and Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken on the lines 33 and ew -4: of Fig. 1, but showing thecenter sills in both figures.

The center sills'of av railway freight car are indicated at and 11, one of the end sillsat 12 and the deadwood at 13 and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July ii, rare.

Serial No. 51,043.

body bolster at 14. A pair of sub-sills are shown at 15, 16, these sub-sills extending only from the body bolster 14:, inwardly. The deadwood 13 is preferably reinforced by an angle plate 17. This angle plate is 'applied to the bottom and rear faces of the deadwood 13, whereby its upstanding flange extends in front of the end sill 1'2.

The improved construction provides a pair of draft plates 18, 19 of channel section ahd of large size. .Each of these draft plates extends from a-point beneath the deadwood Blunder one of the center sills 10, 11, to the body bolster 14:. Each. draft plate 18, 19 has its upper flange removed at its forward end to receive the deadwood 13,gand the web 20 of each draitt plate is firmly secured against the angle plate 17, as by a bracket :21. The usual front and rear draft lugs 22, 23 are provided at each side and the web 20 of each draft plate niav be apertured, at 41, between the corresponding draft lugs 'to'receive the spring bolt (not shown) of a well known type of friction draft gear. A wide bearing for the rear endof each draft plate 18, 19, against the body bolster 14; is provided bythe use of brackets 2-1. 25. One of these brackets is firmly secured against the Web 20 of each of the draft plates and abuts against the adiacent side of the bolster.

The reinforcing transom is generally designated 26. It comprises asubstantially liat plate or web 27 of suliicientsize to extend beneath both of the center sills 10, 11. and over and beyond the bolster 1-1, with an upstanding flange 28, 29. at each side. Each of the flanges 28, 29, engages one of the center sills 10, 11, upon the outside and is firmly secured thereto by bolts, as 30. The inte 'mediate portion of the plate or web 27. in line with the bolster 1 1, is upwardly oilset as indicated at 31. A space or pocket 32 is thus provided below the upwardly ottset portion 31 of the plate 27, and beneath the adjacent ends of the two sub-sills 15 and 16, and 'draft plates 18, 19. This pocket serves for the reception of the bolster 1 1 and the ma rgins of the upwardly offset portion of the plate 27 provides shoulders 42, 43 in the plate for engagement with front 105 and rear edges of the bolster. It desired the depth of the'shouider 43 may be in creased and the plate 27 sti'liened by rivet- '19, upon'the inside and against the under side of theadjacent partof the floor plate 27 of the transom. l

The usual vertical bolts 37 extend through each of the sub-sills 15, 1G andcorrespomh 'ing center sill 10, 11, those shown being located' in front of the inner end of the transom 26', whereby they pass through apertures 38 in the' floor plate 1270f the transom,

as most clearly shown in Fig. 1. Similarly,

some of the bolts, as 39, employed for securing'the draft plates 18, 19 against the under side of the center sills 10, 11, also pass through apertures40 in the floor plate may be'readily appliedto cars a 27of the transom. The construction accordingly provides for the rigid connection of the transom 26 with the angle plate 17 in front of the end sill 12, through the draft i plates 18, 19 and the center sills 10 arid-11 are. amply reinforced to withstand the 7 strains imparted thereto.

The transom 26 by reason of its upstanding flanges 28-, 29,

' and floor plate 27, serves to hold the center sills 10, 11, both against lateral spreading and against vertical deflection in line .With the bolster. The upstanding flanges 28, 29, not only hold the stills 10, ll a -list lateral spreading but their presence gives the transom'great stlliness against Vertic bending. I

' e which Furthermore, the construction is structed and when so applied serv ride such cars with the necessary 2 for use under the present conditions or way freight service;

Iclaim as my invention,-

1. In combination a pair of draft plates,

each adapted to extend beneath one of the center sills of a car, a transom plate ex tending over and'rigidly connecting the two draft plates and .aflange extending upwardly from the transom plate at each side for engaging theoutside face of the corresponding center sill. I

2; In combmatmn, a pair of draft plates,

eachadapteal to extend beneath one of the center sills of a car with its rear end abuttingagainst the body bolster,' a transom plate rigidly connecting the two draft plates and extendingrearwardly therefromovgr the body bolster, and an upstanding flange extending continuously along each side of the transom plate for engaging the outside face of the corresponding center sill from a point in front to a point in rear of the body bolster.

3. In combination, a pair of draft plates,

each adapted to extend beneath one of the center sills of a ca; from the end sill of the car to a point adjacent the body bolster, a tie plate connecting the two draft plates at their forward ends, said tie plate havlng a portion extending upwardly in' front of the end sill of the car, a transom plate rigidly connectingfthe two draft plates adjacent their rear ends and extending rearwardly therefrom over the bolster, and. an

upstanding. flange extending continuously along each sideot the transom plate for engaging the outside face of the corresponding center sill. 1

4.111 combination, a pair of draft'pl'ates, and a transom plate connecting the draft plates andextending rearwardly therefrom to project over the body bolster of a car, the transom plate being provided with an upstanding flange at each side forming a trough for receiving the two center sills of the car with each of the 'said flan es engaging the outside face of one of the $1115 to prevent lateral spreading of the sills over i the bolster.

LEWIS 'r. CANFIELDQ 

